After slow start, Michigan Bucks back in first place led by PDL's all-time leading goalscorer

No team in the Premier Development League has qualified for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup more than the Michigan Bucks. So when the team emerged from their first two games of the season, which double as US Open Cup qualifiers, with only one point, it came as a surprise to most to see them fall short of the 98th Open Cup.

After a scoreless draw with the expansion Rover City Rovers in the season opener and a 3-2 loss at the Cincinnati Kings on a goal in the 89th minute, the Bucks rattled off three straight shutout victories, outscoring their opponents 11-0, to return to the top of the Great Lakes Division.

Their 4-0 win against the Indiana Invaders was led by Kenny Uzoigwe's two goals (his 77th and 78th of his career), which made him the PDL's all-time leading scorer. The biggest win came on Memorial Day against their biggest rival, the Chicago Fire Premier, who had already clinched the Open Cup berth. They defeated the Fire 2-0 with goals from Akron's Luke Holmes and Oakland University's Tom Catalano.

Last Friday, it was a rematch with the River City Rovers, and a 5-0 thumping at Walled Lake Central High School. The Bucks scored all five goals in the first half with Stefan St. Louis scoring twice along with Stew Givens, Catalano and Holmes.

Aside from Uzoigwe's achievement, the story of the season has been goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt, who aside from the three goals allowed against Cincinnati (two of them in the final 10 minutes), he has kept a clean sheet in the four games he has played. He only played the first half of Friday's 5-0 win over River City. With the game in hand, head coach Gary Parsons replaced Hildebrandt with Daniel Withrow.

Hildebrandt is tied for the league lead with four shutouts.

The Bucks are tied with Chicago for first place with a 3-1-1 record and will play two games north of the border next weekend at Forest City London on Friday followed by a match against the Toronto Lynx on Sunday. After that, the team plays another game away from their usual stadium when they play at Borden Park in Rochester before playing the remainder of their home schedule at the Ultimate Soccer Arenas in Pontiac.